Today's News

James Nuckols was selected Monday to fill a vacancy on Rockwood City Council.
Nuckols will fill the unexpired term of Bill Thompson, a first-time council member who died last month after a lengthy illness.
“I’m just tickled to death he’s interested,” said council member Jason Jolly. “I know him and his family.”
Nuckols, a former member of the Rockwood Water, Sewer and Natural Gas board, was selected by Mayor James Watts and approved by Council members Jane Long, Jason Jolly and Pete Wright.

A deluge of rainfall and thunderstorms over a course of several days last week and through the weekend left the ground saturated and resulted in power outages around the county.
“Our guys have worked around the clock since Thursday,” said Tony Brown, assistant to Roane County Road Superintendent Dennis Ferguson.
“The biggest thing we had was trees falling across power lines and roads.”

Airport Road, which was already closed because of sliding, suffered more because of the heavy rain.

Rocky Houston has an attorney in his federal criminal case.
Appointing him one on Monday wasn’t easy, however.
“If you want an attorney, I will be the one to appoint them,” U.S. Magistrate C. Clifford Shirley Jr. said.
“I’m asking for a non-biased judge to appoint my attorney,” Houston responded.
“I am a non-biased judge,” Shirley said. “Either I appoint you a lawyer, or there isn’t a lawyer appointed for you.”

Dotson and his wife, Amanda, are charged with first-degree murder in the death of their 2-year-old son Clifford.
Sheriff Jack Stockton said Clifford weighed around 12 pounds at the time of his death in May 2012. The sheriff’s office investigator who worked on the case said a preliminary autopsy indicated the toddler died of severe malnutrition.
Matthew Dotson is out on bond while the case is pending.

25 Years Ago
Fourteen First American Bank employees at branches in Rockwood, Harriman, Kingston and Spring City received permanent layoff notices due to what a Knoxville bank official called duplication of services after the acquisition of Roane County’s First National Bank. “We can’t afford to do that,” said Robert A. McCabe Jr., First American Bank president. McCabe said officials tried to pick employees with the least seniority and whose job skills were not needed due to refinement in operations.

An update on the Guest House/Alexander Inn renovation project will be given during the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association's membership and public meeting on July 11.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in Midtown Community Center, 102 Robertsville Road.

Rick Dover, general manager of the Family Pride Corp. and Knox Heritage's Ethiel Garlington, director of preservation field services for the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, will present the program.